In October of each year, the school district reports its student enrollment count to the Colorado Department of Education, which determines state funding for the district. Projected enrollment numbers supplied in the district’s submitted June budget were off by 55 students, said district spokeswoman Linda Gann.
The June 30 budget approved by the school board projected student enrollment to grow by 145 students. Tuesday’s count was at approximately 200 students, said Gann.
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She said she will be amending the budget to account for the increase and that budget will go before the school board for approval at the board’s Oct. 9 regular meeting.
“My initial reaction is that funding will go into instructional and teacher salary because we’ve had to add staff because of the growth,” Slater said. She said because it’s only the first October count, she won’t know for sure until she finishes the budget in a couple of days.
The state requires that $292 from each student’s fund be placed in capital and insurance reserve. The rest is general fund money, which operates the district and pays salaries that account for 83 percent of the general funds.
The district has seen an increase in students each year and have just completed construction on its schools, which caught them up to 2002 growth.
“Our elbow room is becoming smaller and smaller every year,” Gann said.
For this school year, classroom modulars were placed at Johnson Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary and Cottonwood Elementary schools to absorb a projected growing population. Slater said the district planned correctly when predicting growth in those schools.
“We are able to handle growth this year,” she said. “Anymore growth after this, we’re going to have to rent or buy more modulars.”
Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com
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